Chapter 452: Reorganizing the Army

In Chang’an, Li Longji’s northern invasion did not cause chaos there. Aside from his “Proclamation to the People,” which prompted many nobles and elites to flee south and briefly disrupted order in Chang’an, the situation gradually returned to calm as the two armies entered a standoff, blocking the escape routes.

That morning, in the meeting room of the Zichen Hall where Regent Li Hen was based, a small secret meeting was taking place. The attendees were key ministers from Li Hen’s faction, including the three senior officials of the Political Council—Wang Gong, Fang Gan, and Cui Huan—as well as his military advisor, Linghu Fei, who served as the current Guest of the Crown Prince, Li Qiu, the Deputy Minister of the Imperial Sacrificial rites, and Chen Xuanli, the Commander of the Jinyi Guard. Together with Li Hen, there were seven people in total.

Fang Gan and Cui Huan had originally been part of Li Hen’s faction in the Eastern Palace and had always believed in Li Hen as the legitimate heir. Now that Li Hen had become the regent, their status rose significantly, and they eventually replaced Yang Guozhong and Chen Xilie, gaining a place in the Political Council.

“This time, we’ve recruited 75,000 soldiers. That’s less than the 110,000 soldiers in the Anxi Army, but more than the 40,000 soldiers in the Guannei Shuofang Army,” said Chen Xuanli. He was also a veteran general in his sixties, having long served as the Commander of the Yulin Army. He was now the Deputy Commander of the Guanzhong Army and the Commander of the Jinyi Guard, and he was in charge of recruiting new troops for the Guanzhong Army.

Chen Xuanli had a very close relationship with Li Hen. Even when Li Hen was the crown prince, Chen Xuanli had repeatedly hinted that he would firmly support Li Hen’s ascension to the throne. Now that Li Hen had become the regent, he hoped Chen Xuanli could help him control Chang’an.

During this meeting, following Li Hen’s instructions, Chen Xuanli first reported on the military strength of each faction to the senior officials. Seeing their keen interest, he continued, “With the existing Guanzhong Army, Jinyi Guard, and troops guarding Tongguan, our total military strength will reach 260,000. But according to the information I’ve received, Li Qing’an has dispatched another 60,000 to 70,000 soldiers from the Anxi Army to the Central Plains. Adding his newly recruited troops, the existing Anxi Army, and the troops from Hexi, his forces in the Central Plains will be nearly 300,000. In terms of combat strength and equipment, we are far inferior to the Anxi Army.”

“What about the combat strength of Guo Ziyi’s army?” asked Wang Gong.

Chen Xuanli smiled and replied, “Although Li Qing’an is honored as the ‘Father of the Emperor,’ it is actually Guo Ziyi who truly supports the emperor. This time, he has recruited 40,000 soldiers. Adding his existing troops and those from the Yulin Army, his faction also has 110,000 soldiers. As for combat strength, it mainly relies on the 50,000 troops under Guo Ziyi’s command, as the new recruits still need time to be trained.”

After Chen Xuanli finished speaking, he sat down. At that moment, Li Heng slowly said, “The reason I first asked General Chen to analyze the comparison of the various armies is that military strength will be key to our future distribution of interests. Without a doubt, Li Qing’an will have an advantage in future interest distribution. I don’t deny this, nor do I want to avoid it.”

Last night, Li Heng received news that his emperor had withdrawn his troops southward, which meant the situation in Guanzhong would gradually stabilize. A new round of power struggles and distribution of power was about to begin, so Li Heng urgently convened this meeting to discuss their future strategies.

Li Heng picked up a letter from the table and said to everyone, “This is a letter Li Qing’an wrote to me before going to Mei County. In it, he made several requests. Some I must agree to, while others I don’t want to agree to, so I’m discussing them with you today.”

Li Heng took out the letter and handed it to Wang Gong first, then said to everyone, “The first issue he mentioned in the letter is the control areas of our two armies in Guanzhong in the future. I also think this is a major issue we must address. Guo Ziyi’s army is clearly not stationed in Guanzhong anymore—this was the condition Li Qing’an set when returning Guannei Road and Shuofang to him. That means there are only our two armies in Guanzhong. So how should we station them to avoid conflicts? Li Qing’an’s suggestion is to use Zhuxue Street in Chang’an as a boundary: our army controls the area east of Guanzhong, while his army controls the area west. In other words, the area east of Wannian County in Chang’an is our territory, and the area west of Chang’an County is his.”

“Your Highness, I have a question?”

Fang Gan frowned and asked, “Chang’an has always been under the security of the Twelve Guards. We have the Jinyu Guards, which allow us to manage Chang’an legitimately. But if Chang’an is divided into two, surely it can’t be the Anxi Cavalry patrolling the streets of Chang’an County!”

“That’s the second request Li Qing’an made to me. He wants to reestablish the Qianniu Guards, which will be responsible for maintaining order in Chang’an County in the future. To be honest, I’ve already agreed to both of his requests. By using Zhuxue Street as a boundary to divide Guanzhong in two—him in the west and me in the east—it means defending against the Jiannan army will be his responsibility. Actually, I’m not at a disadvantage. But what I want to discuss with you is his third request.”

Li Heng walked over to the map. He picked up a stick and pointed at the area east of the Yellow River, saying, “After suffering a crushing defeat in Guannei Road, An Lushan submitted a petition to the imperial court asking to resign as the military governor of Hedong. In other words, An Lushan would abandon his troops there, leaving Hedong vacant. Li Qing’an’s third condition was to use Taiyuan as a boundary and divide the military control of Hedong in half—eleven provinces south of Taiyuan would be under my command, while the seven provinces and one prefecture north of Taiyuan would be under his control. I refused his request because it went beyond his promise not to cross the Yellow River. I’d like to discuss this with everyone.”

Silence filled the meeting room. Li Qing’an’s demand to split Guanzhong in half wasn’t a problem—everyone could accept it, after all, Li Qing’an’s army was already stationed in Guanzhong, and he was the supreme commander of all troops. But his request to split Hedong seemed excessive to everyone.

Although it was the Anxi Army that defeated An Lushan, they had received Longyou as compensation. They already occupied vast lands west of the Yellow River and still weren’t satisfied; they were reaching further inland, eyeing Hedong as well. This gave the impression of being greedy for more. Li Qing’an seemed overly ambitious.

What was even more concerning was Li Qing’an’s status. As the crown prince, he now controlled Taiyuan, a city of great strategic importance. What consequences might that bring? Everyone was filled with worry.

At that moment, Linghu Fei asked, “Your Highness, could you specify which seven provinces and one prefecture?”

“Sure,” Li Heng replied. He pointed to the map and listed them one by one: “Shi, Lan, Xin, Dai, Shuo, Yun, and Wei provinces, plus Taiyuan Prefecture. I also have news to share—actually, Yunzhou is already in Li Qing’an’s hands. He has appointed Anxi General Lei Wanchun as the governor of Yunzhou and commander of the Zhenwu Army. I don’t know when he sent his men to take control of Yunzhou; I guess it happened during his battles with An Lushan.”

Linghu Fei pondered for a moment before saying, “Your Highness, I suggest agreeing to Li Qing’an’s request.”

Linghu Fei’s suggestion caused a stir. A few civil officials remained calm, but Chen Xuanli stood up angrily and said, “Why should we agree, Lord Linghu? If we let him extend his control to Hedong, he’ll surround Guannei Road from all sides. His next move will surely be to take over Guannei Road and unify his territories. If he does that, can Chang’an even be saved? Can’t Lord Linghu see that?”

Although Li Heng was slightly dissatisfied and surprised by Linghu Fei’s suggestion, he knew Linghu Fei was not someone who spoke rashly, so he waved his hand and said, “Everyone, please calm down for now. Let Lord Linghu finish speaking.”
The meeting room fell silent once again. Linghu Fei glanced at everyone and smiled faintly, saying, “I’m not trying to give Li Qing’an the fertile lands of Hedong. In fact, just as I and His Highness gave up the area west of Zhuque Street out of necessity, you might as well treat me as Li Qing’an. If I propose to take control of the seven provinces and one prefecture in Hedong now and everyone objects, then fine—I can give up Hedong and instead ask for Henan Road. Will you give it to me?”
Linghu Fei’s last question left everyone speechless. Indeed! If Li Qing’an didn’t want Hedong but instead wanted Henan Road, would they give it to him or not? Nominalmente, both Hedong and Henan belonged to the imperial court, but whose court was that? It was still these two major factions. Li Heng wanted both Hedong and Henan—would Li Qing’an agree? According to the principle of equal interests, each of them should occupy one of the regions.
After a long pause, Cui Huan said to Li Heng, “Your Highness, I support Lord Linghu’s suggestion. Since Li Qing’an has already taken control of Yunchou, he surely wants the northern part of Hedong as well. We can’t expect him to withdraw his troops from Yunchou just because of our opposition! We should think more practically. Let’s simply agree to let Li Qing’an control the northern part of Hedong, while we control the southern part of Hedong and Henan Road. This way, I’ll have the strength to confront the armies from Jiannan, Jingzhou, Yangzhou, etc., and we can leave dealing with An Lushan to Li Qing’an, while we focus all our efforts on dealing with the armies from Jingzhou and Yangzhou.”
If Linghu Fei’s status was somewhat lower and his influence weaker, Cui Huan’s stance carried much more weight. Soon after, Fang Gan and Wang Gong also expressed their agreement.
Li Heng had been hesitant and wanted to discuss it with everyone. Since most agreed to give the northern part of Hedong to Li Qing’an, he followed the majority’s opinion. He then said to Li Qiu, “Then Minister Li, please make the effort to go find Li Qing’an and tell him that I agree to his three proposals.”
……
As Li Longji retreated southward to Shu, the crisis was resolved, and the situation in Guanzhong gradually returned to normal. Guo Ziyi’s army returned to Guannei Road, while Li Qing’an’s army marched toward Chang’an.
That night, when the army reached Xianyang, it was already late. Li Qing’an ordered them to camp there for rest. After a day of marching, everyone was hungry and tired, so they immediately started cooking and setting up camp. The main camp was bustling with activity, extremely lively.

The main command tent had been set up, and Li Qing’an was discussing Guo Shu Han with his new aide, Wei Qingping. Li Qing’an already knew quite a bit about Wei Qingping—he was actually a member of the prestigious Wei family from Guanlong, the nephew of Wei Jiansu, the vice minister of Rites. He had grown up in his family but was mistreated because he was an illegitimate child. At the age of eighteen, he took his mother to Tongzhou, where his father had left a few acres of poor farmland. There, he studied hard and became known for his poetry. He was friends with Li Bai, Du Fu, Cen Shen, and others. Though he often led a carefree life, he had great ambitions and wanted to achieve something significant, but unfortunately, he couldn’t find an opportunity to serve under a wise ruler.

When Li Qing’an returned to the capital, Wei Qingping dared to sing in the streets, which finally caught Li Qing’an’s attention. Li Qing’an hired him as an aide, and Wei Qingping came up with several strategies for him, including the one to create discord between Guo Shu Han and Li Longji. However, Wei Qingping didn’t expect Li Qing’an to use Yang Xuan as a messenger. This not only sowed discord between Guo Shu Han and Li Longji but also won over Yang Guozhong—achieving two goals at once. Wei Qingping was greatly impressed by this result.

“A great general truly has a long-term vision, knowing how to use patience to catch big fish. I believe within two years, Guo Shu Han will surely die at Li Longji’s hands.”

Li Qing’an sighed slightly and said, “Actually, I don’t really care whether Guo Shu Han lives or dies. What matters to me is his 50,000 troops from Longyou. Many of them have experience fighting in high-altitude areas. It would be a shame to send them to the fertile lands of Lianghu. They should return to Longyou to fight against the Tubo. Fortunately, most of these soldiers’ families are in Longyou. We need to find a way to get them back. I hope you can help me plan this.”

“As long as the general gives the order, I will obey. But please give me a few days to think it over.”

“No problem! There’s no rush. We can take our time.”

As they were talking, a report came from outside the tent from a personal guard: “Reporting to the general, General Nan has arrived.”

“Let him in!”

Li Qing’an smiled and said to Wei Qingping, “This general of mine has a thin skin. I’m going to scold him in a moment. Please step aside for now.”

“Okay! I’ll leave right away.”

Wei Qingping quickly got up and left. Moments later, Nan Jiyun rushed into the tent, knelt on one knee, and bowed, saying, “Your humble servant pays respects to the general.”

This time, Nan Jiyun hadn’t participated in the defense of Meixian. He and Yan Zhuang had gone to Fengtian County to organize new recruits. Upon receiving Li Qing’an’s order, he hurried back.

Li Qing’an glanced at him and asked, “How are the new recruits?”

Nan Jiyun’s current military rank was merely that of a lieutenant general, while Cui Qianyou, who joined later than him, had already become a grand general. Lei Wanchun had also become the governor of Yunchou and a general of the third rank. Even some of his former subordinates had become generals. This wasn’t because Nan Jiyun lacked ability; on the contrary, he was an excellent archer, had achieved numerous military feats, and was utterly loyal to Li Qing’an. After the Battle of Talas, he was appointed as a general of the Qianniu Guard. However, due to a serious mistake a few years earlier, Li Qing’an demoted him to a lieutenant general, reducing his rank by three levels.

About two years ago, Li Qing’an launched a surprise attack on Guanzhong to support Li Yu’s ascension to the throne. He recruited 20,000 soldiers from the displaced people in Chang’an to form an army stationed there. When Li Qing’an left Chang’an, he entrusted this army to Nan Jiyun, repeatedly instructing him to keep tight control over it. Unexpectedly, half a year later, Li Yu promoted Nan Jiyun to the grand general of the Left Military Guard. Overconfident, Nan Jiyun accepted the appointment, which ultimately led to him losing power and having his army seized by Li Yu. In regret, Nan Jiyun returned to Anxi to apologize to Li Qing’an. Although Li Qing’an forgave him, he still demoted him by three levels, reducing him to a lieutenant general.

This incident left an indelible stain of shame on Nan Jiyun. From then on, he became quiet and reserved, following Li Qing’an on military campaigns where he once again achieved many victories. Upon returning to Chang’an, he revisited old places, filled with mixed emotions.

Nan Jiyun said in a solemn voice, “Reporting to the grand general, 110,000 new recruits have gathered in Fengxian County and will return to Liangzhou for training in three days.”

“Do you think these newly recruited soldiers are stronger than those 20,000 from the year before last?” Li Qing’an asked, looking at him with a half-smile.

Nan Jiyun’s face suddenly turned red. The old incident was brought up again, and his heart was pierced once more. With a low sigh, he said, “Although those 20,000 soldiers were displaced people, most of them were former imperial troops who could fight after minimal training. While these new recruits also include many former imperial troops, at least half of them are ordinary farmers—far inferior to those 20,000.”

“Why are you blushing? Did I punish you wrongly back then?”

Nan Jiyun lowered his head deeply and said painfully, “I was greedy for fame and rank back then and committed a grave mistake. The grand general’s punishment was justified. I only regret that it wasn’t harsh enough. If the grand general had executed me, I would have had no complaints.”

Li Qing’an stared at him and asked, “Really? If I killed you, you really wouldn’t complain?”

“I would have absolutely no complaints!”

“Very well, I’ll give you another chance. This time, you made great contributions in the battle against An Lushan. As a reward for your efforts, I will promote you to General of the Qianniu Wei and task you with forming a new force of 20,000 troops in Chang’an County under my command. Wherever you fall, I’ll give you a chance to rise again. But if you fail again, then you must end your own life!”
Nan Jiyun was overjoyed. His nose stung, and he couldn’t hold back his tears as he said, “Even if I sacrifice my life, it will be insufficient to repay the great general’s kindness and trust in me.”
……
After Nan Jiyun left, Li Qing’an watched his retreating figure and shook his head with a smile. He believed Nan Jiyun could do well this time. It wasn’t scary to make mistakes; what was scary was not realizing the mistake and refusing to change. If that were the case, then Li Qing’an had misjudged him. Over the past two years, he had seen that Nan Jiyun had lived in pain and self-reproach, never harboring resentment over being demoted to a general. In that regard, Nan Jiyun truly recognized his mistake and could still be of great use.
Li Qing’an also knew that even if he forgave Nan Jiyun, Nan Jiyun would not forgive himself. So the best solution was to let him go through the same path once more. If he could overcome this challenge, his psychological burden would be lifted.
As Li Qing’an turned to return to his tent, a duty officer rushed over and reported, “General, someone outside the camp wants to see you.”
“Who is it?”
“It’s the person we drove away last time. He’s here again.”
“Li Qiu!”
Li Qing’an immediately realized who it was and smiled slightly. “Let him in this time.”
Li Qiu’s arrival was surely sent by Li Heng. Needless to say, it was definitely related to those three conditions, and Li Heng wanted an answer from him.
Li Qing’an also knew full well that the first and second conditions posed no problem—Li Heng would surely agree to them. The key was the third condition: he wanted seven provinces and one prefecture in northeastern Hebei, with Taiyuan Prefecture being especially important, as it related to the legitimacy of his status. Taiyuan was the birthplace of the Tang Dynasty, and there were many strategies he could employ. Li Qing’an had already made up his mind—even if Li Heng refused, he would seize it by force.
A moment later, accompanied by several bodyguards, Li Qiu entered Li Qing’an’s tent anxiously. He quickly bowed and said, “Li Qiu, Deputy Minister of Rites, pays his respects to General Zhao, the Prince!”
Having learned from the last time, he dared not be too familiar with Li Qing’an this time and adopted a highly respectful attitude. Li Qing’an nodded and smiled, “Minister Li, please sit.”
“Thank you, Your Highness. I am here on orders from the Regent to deliver a letter to the General. I won’t stay long.”
“Where is the letter?”

Li Qiu took out the letter and respectfully handed it to Li Qingan, saying, “The regent has agreed to all three conditions proposed by the Great General, His Highness the Prince of Zhao, last time.”